1920s America

Creditor Nation

A country that is owed more money by other countries than it owes to them, indicating a trade surplus and financial stability.

Mass Production

Manufacturing of large quantities of standardized products, often using assembly lines and machinery for efficiency.

Model T

The first affordable automobile produced by Henry Ford using mass production techniques, revolutionizing transportation.

Consumer Revolution (consumerism)

A period of time when there was a surge in the purchasing of goods, indicating a shift in cultural attitudes towards consumption.

Bull Market

A financial market characterized by rising asset prices and investor optimism, leading to increased buying.

Lines of Credit

A borrowing arrangement allowing a person to access funds up to a certain limit, useful for managing cash flow.

Installment Plans

A method of purchasing a product by paying in fixed amounts over a period of time, making it more affordable for consumers.

Warren G. Harding

29th President of the United States, known for his conservative policies and involvement in the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Andrew Mellon

Secretary of the Treasury under three U.S. Presidents, playing a key role in shaping economic policy during the 1920s.

Herbert Hoover

31st President of the United States, overseeing the country during the early years of the Great Depression.

Teapot Dome Scandal

A bribery incident during the Harding administration involving the leasing of federal oil reserves, leading to public outrage.

Calvin Coolidge

30th President of the United States, known for his pro-business policies and advocacy of small government.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

International agreement aimed at renouncing war as a means of resolving disputes, though ultimately ineffective in preventing conflicts.

Dawes Plan

An attempt to address Germany's inability to pay reparations after World War I by restructuring its debt and providing loans.

Modernism

A cultural movement embracing change, experimentation, and individualism, influencing art, literature, and architecture.

Fundamentalism

A conservative religious movement advocating strict adherence to traditional beliefs, particularly in response to modernist ideas.

Scopes Trial

A highly publicized legal case in 1925, challenging a Tennessee law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools.

Red Scare (1920s)

A period of intense anti-communist sentiment and fear of radicalism in the United States, leading to government crackdowns.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist hate group that gained prominence in the 1920s, targeting African Americans, immigrants, and other minority groups.

Prohibition

The nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States from 1920 to 1933.

Charlie Chaplin

A renowned English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film.

The Jazz Singer

The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, marking the transition from silent films to 'talkies'.

Babe Ruth

An iconic American baseball player known for his record-setting career and influence on the sport.

Charles Lindbergh

Famous for making the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, solidifying his place as an aviation pioneer.

Flapper girl

A fashionable young woman in the 1920s known for her unconventional style, embracing new attitudes and behaviors.

Lost Generation

A term describing the disillusioned post-World War I generation, often associated with literary figures like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

An influential American author renowned for his novels capturing the spirit of the Jazz Age, notably 'The Great Gatsby'.

Ernest Hemingway

A celebrated American novelist and short story writer, known for his distinctive writing style and adventurous life.

Marcus Garvey

A Jamaican-born political leader and activist who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, advocating for black nationalism and Pan-Africanism.

Louis Armstrong

An influential jazz trumpeter and vocalist, recognized for his improvisational skills and contributions to the genre.

Harlem Renaissance

A flourishing of African American art, music, and literature centered in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s.

Langston Hughes

A prominent poet and leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance, known for his insightful and powerful depictions of African American life.